Stuc A' Chroin Sat 2nd May

14 miles and 5000 feet of fun and frolics in the hills above Strathyre. This year it's part of both the British & Scottish Championship series and a record field of over 300 set off at 1:00 pm.

Well known as a toughie the first couple of miles are only a warm up as you undulate your way up through Strathyre forrest. You leave the forrest and run over a rough and boggy Meall Mor, so far overall climb not too bad at 1400' in just over 3 miles.

A quick plunge 600 feet down into Glen Ample before the assault on Beinn Each, hands, knees and teeth required for a 1500' climb in less than a mile.

The ridge run from Beinn Each to the Stuc is a joy to run with full concentration required over rock and bog as it undulates along. Take care to avoid the front runners as they fly past on their way back. The ridge finale is a 1000' climb within a mile to the top of the Stuc.

The return journey is fun as it misses out Beinn Each. The initial descent to the ridge is tricky on steep loose rock, easy to be caught out as you try to make as much use of gravity as possible.

The Beallach Nam Cabar is reached after a couple of miles and signals the drop back into Glen Ample. Initially a straight run down to pick up an effort of a sheep track to trash your ankles as you run along and down to the bottom of the Glen.

You slither down a swampy stream for the last few feet thinking what could be worse and it's right in front of you, a mushy bog followed by the 600' plus climb out the Glen. A stunning rainbow behind breaks up the climb. The photo doesn't do it justice but was a good excuse for a rest.



As you exit Glen Ample its a struggle to keep your legs moving in time as you run back over the delightfully rough Meall Mor. This finishes in a plunge back into the forrest where going too fast to turn a corner Christmas comes early as I run into a tree, the needles cushion the blow.

For the last couple of miles its back onto the forrest track which is a bit harsh on the feet after the soft moor.

A cracking race but one you need a wee bit of patience for, marshalls fantastic as they provide gallons of water, jelly babies and chocolate on the hill.

Finished in 3 hrs 26 mins which seems ok to me, 227th out of 318 finishers. Race profile below gives you some idea of the ups and downs, to find out more you'll need to give it a go.